In the culture of Islam, Muslims celebrate something called Ramadan.  A holiday that falls on the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. Since the Muslim calendar is shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan starts 10–12 days earlier each year, which allows it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle. It’s also done this way because the Muslim calendar is based on lunar cycles. Ramadan is a time of contemplation and a time to practice sawm, which in Arabic means “to refrain” and is one of the pillars of Islam. Despite people commonly interpreting sawm as just fasting, it’s much more. Ramadan is broadly understood to be the obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behavior, including impure or unkind thoughts, as well as discipline.

As non-Muslims, most Americans have a tendency to be uninformed or misinformed about Ramadan. Sometimes they don’t know what to say when a Muslim peer mentions celebrating Ramadan. Teenagers especially can be rude or a bit annoying, whether they’re trying to be or not. Plenty of Muslim teenagers in school find it off putting when their peers ask them repetitive questions about their inability to eat or drink through out the day and why they’re doing what they’re doing. It’s okay to be curious, but it’s not okay to be disrespectful. Asking things like “Is this tempting you?” while purposefully eating in front of a Muslim peer with the intent to provoke them is not acceptable. You don’t have to fast, or single them out. It only serves to make them more uncomfortable. It is important to let your friends and peers know they have your support, and try to motivate them to keep going through the month. On that note, here are some more facts about the customs of Ramadan so you can be better informed.

Throughout the day, there are five prayer times: dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night. After the sunset prayer, they break fast at home or in mosques with close friends and family, to share a meal called ifṭār. Then they have their additional night prayer. Over the course of the month of Ramadan, the entire Qurʾān may be recited. Work hours, during the day, are adjusted and sometimes reduced, in some Muslim-majority countries, to accommodate for Ramadan.

All Muslims who have reached puberty are obligated to fast; however, when people are sick, or when women menstruate or are pregnant, they are not permitted to fast. They may break fast in order to heal and maintain their nutrients. Some participate in extra days of fasting and others may not.  Instead, they can feed a poor person for every day of fasting which they miss. While younger children do not fast, it is a customary tradition to perform symbolic fasting. This entails fasting on the weekends or on half days to train them gradually, and so that they feel a sense of inclusion during the month long period. Oftentimes, mosques will give special recognition to children who are fasting their first whole day of Ramadan.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate something called ‘Eid ul-Fitr’. It means “Festival of the Breaking of the Fast.” A special prayer and sermon are held Eid morning. Children usually get gifts from their parents, friends, and relatives, and they celebrate in a park or large hall. Food, games, and presents for children are important parts of the festivities, as friends and family spend the day socializing, eating, and reuniting with old acquaintances.

So the next time you run into someone you know that is participating in Ramadan, don’t ask them any interrogative, awkward, or uncomfortable questions that make them feel singled out. Just wish them a blessed holiday and let them know you support them. Ramadan Mubarak to you all!